1. Field
Embodiments relate to an external terminal assembly and a battery pack including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, compact and light portable electric/electronic device, e.g., a cellular phone, a notebook computer, or a camcorder, are widely being developed and produced. Such portable electric/electronic devices may include a battery pack so as to be able to be operated at a place where an additional power source is not provided.
Battery packs may employ secondary batteries capable of being charged and discharged in view of an economical aspect. Secondary batteries may include, e.g., nickel-cadmium (Ni—Cd) batteries, nickel-hydrogen (Ni—H) batteries, lithium (Li) batteries, lithium ion (Li-ion) secondary batteries, etc. For example, Li-ion secondary batteries may have an operation voltage that is about three times greater than that of Ni—Cd batteries or Ni-MH batteries and are widely used as power sources of portable electronic devices. In addition, Li-ion secondary batteries are widely used because of high density per unit weight.
Secondary batteries may use a Li-based oxide as a positive active material and a carbon material as a negative active material. In general, secondary batteries may include, e.g., liquid electrolyte batteries and polymer electrolyte batteries according to the types of electrolytes. A battery using a liquid electrolyte may be designated as a Li-ion battery and a battery using a polymer electrolyte may be designated as a Li-polymer battery.